“WOW” Customer Service is Different. Here’s Why:
At some point in our lives, we have all had at least one “WOW” customer experience – and we all understand just how powerful they can be. So why shouldn’t we be expected to create these experiences in all of our customer interactions?
On the surface, it sounds like a fair question. The answer lies in the very nature of WOW experiences. Although people often think of them as simply customer service on steroids, WOW experiences are really something quite different.
Outstanding customer service is about building loyalty
Outstanding customer service is about creating consistently positive customer interactions focused on establishing trust – with the ultimate goal of building stronger customer loyalty.
Wow customer service is about capturing moments
Wow customer service is quite different, with the definition being: ”A service experience that a customer is likely to share with family, friends and social media connections.”
It is about capturing moments by creating unique, memorable and often unexpected experiences. For example:
Saving the day
A grandfather was desperate to get to the bedside of his dying grandson, but a long airport security process meant he was going to miss his flight. When he finally reached the gate, he was shocked to see the Southwest airplane still there, with the pilot waiting for him.
“No problem,” the pilot told him. “They can’t leave without me.” See the story
Saving Christmas
Just days before Christmas, a UPS driver discovered the road into a small community was completely washed out.
No problem. He borrowed a resident’s boat and paddled the packages to their destination. See the story
Wow opportunities are situational – and most begin with something negative
These types of experiences can be enormously powerful for creating goodwill and positive visibility for a company. But the opportunities to create them are situational.
A UPS driver, for example, might have countless opportunities to provide outstanding customer service during a normal day. It takes something unusual – such as a flooded road – to create the opportunity for a genuine WOW experience.
In fact, research by The Belding Group identified that seven out of ten “wow” customer experiences actually begin with something negative – and an employee who takes ownership to try and fix things.
The skills we need to create wow experiences are different
Delivering outstanding customer service involves a broad range of skills that fall under six key categories. Training for customer service needs to strategically address these categories in an interactive, engaging and relevant format.
To create WOW experiences, employees need strong skills around service recovery, creative thinking and decision-making. They need the ability to recognize when a WOW opportunity presents itself, and have the confidence and ability to act on it successfully.
The goal is to deliver outstanding service consistently – while giving employees the skills, judgment and confidence to recognize those special moments when they have the opportunity to create something extraordinary.
